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Senior Prom

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If any of you have had children that have graduated from high school, you know their senior year is the most expensive year of school. With Homecoming, Prom and all the senior stuff (pictures, cap & gown, etc) it can become more than some of us can handle. With me being a seamstress, I had always been able to accommodate them for the dances ( I have 2 girls), I could either make something cheaper than store bought or upcycle something they found at the  thrift store.

My youngest decided she had to have a new store bought dress for her prom. My husband and I discussed with her a budget we could work with IF she found some work to do and paid half. She looked at thrift stores and didn’t find anything so we went to our local mall. She found quite a bit she liked but was out of our budget. We finally ended up at a store that was all prom and wedding dresses. Most of it was WAY out of our budget but she finally found one that was 75% off (was originally around $400) so with it only a little over our budget, she agreed to pay the difference. The only problem was the dress was 3 sizes too big.

I look at the dress carefully to make sure I would be able to alter it. I had to remove a bit of the beading because I had to take in about 2 inches on both sides. Luckily the part around her hips was fine. I have tried to sew over beading before and lets just say it didn’t work out well for my sewing machine or my sanity. I was able to take in the dress and it ended up fitting perfectly.

She was very pleased with the result.

 

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Top Ruffles

I got this dress for $1, it was ripped in the back but turned out to be just the seam opening. Anyway, I loved the pink roses and figured it would make a cute top. I had a top from Pinterest that I really like, I found that I already had a pattern that was similar. Just had to make a few changes.

First, I cut the dress apart so it would lay flat to cut out. The Pinterest top had a ruffle around the top with the elastic casing lower. The pattern I had has the elastic around the top of the blouse. I had to add 2 inches to the top, back and sleeves to accommodate the ruffle. I also had to cut the back a 2 pieces, I just stitched the back seam before I stitched the side seam. Then I sewed the shortened sleeves.

I loved the bias ruffles on the sleeves but did not have enough fabric for them. I made gathered ruffles to the shortened sleeves. I don’t like them as much but the top is still cute. I gathered the ruffle on the end of the sleeve. I covered the edges with single fold bias tape around the end of the sleep and the underside of the arm hole. Then turned then to the inside of the top and stitched down the other edge. I also added the tape 1 and a half inches below the top ruffle for the elastic.

I measured my body form to determine how much elastic I needed. I cut the elastic and safety pinned one end to the inside of the top.

The another one to the end of the elastic so I could guide it through the bias tape.

Once the elastic was through, I put the top on my body form and made sure the elastic was pulled well so the “ruffle” had the shape I wanted. Again, I don’t like this as much as the one I was wanting it to be. I wouldn’t call it a fail because it’s still a cute, lightweight top for summer. Hope you like it.

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Pink Floral

I stated in my last post that I love the color PINK. I am always drawn to anything that has pink in it. So much that both my girls pretty much refuse to wear anything pink, lol. I got this dress for $6. Two things I liked about it was, obviously, it’s got pink flowers and that it has so much fabric, I thought there was a lot I could do with it.

I also liked the pink and brown together in the floral pattern. I decided I wanted to make a sun dress out of it and wanted to use a pattern. I had to go through several patterns before I found one that would work with the amount of fabric available. The entire dress is fully lined so I was able to use it as well. I cut the dress out.

Because the fabric is completely sheer, I cut 2 sets of lining fabric for it. One I used for lining, the other I put together with the floral fabric and treated them like they were one. I did not want to see the seams through the fabric. I sewed the pattern according to the instructions. Now speaking of patterns, I shop mostly at our local JoAnn’s for patterns and have never paid full price. I always go when they are on sale for the lowest price and get them then.

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Dressy Blues

There’s something you should know about me to start off. I LOVE all things pink, polka dot and lace. If I find something with one or more of the attributes and you can guarantee I’m going to buy it and find some use for it. I also LOVE chickens but don’t usually like to wear them on clothing.

Anyway, I found this dress and my usual thrift store and paid $6-$8 for it. I have had it for a while so I don’t remember exactly. The thrift store I frequent most has 5 different colored tags. Each day the tags are 30% 50% or 75% off. The other 2 tags are regular priced. They also have a .25 cent rack. I typically only buy the ones that are 50-75% off unless I absolutely fall in love with something.

I loved the lace detail on the top and bottom of the dress. But I hated the middle part, I did not think its was flattering to my shape. Plus I’m only 5 feet tall so it was way too long for me. I decided I would just remove the middle part. I cut the skit off one band above the seam and did the same for the top. I want one band on it to give some definition to the waist. It was a little tricky, however I was able to line up the skirt seam with seam of the band I left for the top. I trimmed any excess fabric that was left and took the side and back seams in a little. I think the dress turned out great and will work for a fancy date night or wedding. Hope you like it!

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90’s Drab to Summertime Fab

I found this dress at a thrift store and paid around $2-$3 for it. I like the creamy pastels, lace and the triangle inserts in the bottom of the skirt. I also liked the lace insert on the under dress.

I started out by removing the shoulder pads. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the outer dress except that I wanted it shorter. So I started out altering the under dress. I cut it at the waist and then measured 18 inches from the bottom hem and cut off the excess. The dress was originally just a pull over But I wanted it fitted so I knew I would need to add a zipper. I cut up the back seam to allow for the zipper.

At this point I put the under dress on my dress form and pinned sides and back to make it fit my form. I had to add darts in the front under the bust. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the outer dress so I created an A line effect by pinning the top to fit the waist and left the hem the same. I sewed the seams at an angle from hem to waist to create the A line. Once I had all the seams sewn, I sewed the bodice to the skirt.

At this point I cut off the outer dress at the waist. I was going to measure up from the hem 19 inches so I didn’t have to hem the dress but I realized I would be cutting off in the middle of the triangle inserts and not the top points. I decided to measure from the top of the inserts to 20 inches (now I had to accommodate a hem) and cut off the bottom. I took in the bodice just like the under dress. I shortened the sleeves. I pinned the skirt to the bodice and had some excess fabric between the seams. I ran a gathering thread along the front of the skirt. I attached the skirt to the bodice. Then I put the outer dress and under dress together to run a basting stitch up the back connecting the 2 dresses. I sewed in an 18 inch zipper and opened the basting stitches.

I placed the dress back on my dress form and felt like it still needed something so I added a belt and, Voila! Super cute summer dress!

I hope you like it. Come see me next week for more projects. I look forward to it!

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I’m Too Busy, or just not Motivated!

Recently I have been kind of sick and just not feeling motivated.  I recently lost my job and have been very frustrated with job searches and what is available out there. I am 50 years old and believe that there aren’t jobs out there for the things I feel I’m good at. I have started this blog as a means to use my talents and passions to help the younger and maybe even older generations out there to use the information I am putting out to be able to do some of the things I have wanted to do when my kids were young that I didn’t feel I could do either because of time, finances or talent but want people to know they can.

I know there are a lot of people doing blogs, or videos on these things as well. I hope I’m able to blog and maybe even do videos later that will entertain and encourage. I am clumsy and mess up a good bit of the time but I enjoy creating and don’t mind a little laughter at my expense if it brightens someone’s day. I have learned a lot over the years about how to make things cheaper or even free if you have a keen eye and want to help out where I can.

If someone out there has an idea or a question about trying to figure out a project, if I don’t know what to do, I hope we can figure it out together. I want to to be able to make a living off of things that make me feel like me and not have to fit into the corporate box. Please help me by reading my  blog. Hope to hear from you!

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Play Clothes

I always hated buying play clothes. No matter how inexpensive I found them. All the big superstores had the little shorts and shirts for less than $5-$10. But, I had a hard time wrapping my head around buying brand new clothes that I knew would be stained and grungy after one wear. I also hated sending them to school/daycare in something cute just to have it ruined before they got home. So, whether they’re playing inside/outside or at school, I decided making them play clothes out of my donation bag would serve me well. One, I was getting rid of the stuff not knowing if it would be used or go in the trash and two, it wasn’t going to cost me to get another use out of them.

So, I went through my donation stuff and found a couple of items I thought would work

Here are some of the items I used to make the pattern for the clothes. Pencil, scissors, craft paper.

I had to find a shirt and shorts that are currently the size I needed. I used them to make a pattern (I did not cut them up, Just folded at the seems and traced them onto craft paper)

I added a 1/4 inch seam allowance on the pattern. I cut the front and back of the shirt on the fold and used the bottom of the shirt so I would have to hem it when complete.

After I cut out the pieces, I sewed the side and shoulder seams of the shirt front and back. I then used single fold bias tape for the neck and arm holes. I started working on the shorts, and made a big mistake. Remember how I said my seam ripper is my favorite tool. Well, it got put to good use because I meant to stitch the front seam then the back seam, however, I ended up stitching the sides. I had to take them out and then I sewed it correctly. So once I stitched the front and back seams I could stitch them together at the sides then the crotch. I hemmed the legs and added elastic with a zig-zag stitch around the top of the shorts. I folded the elastic over and stitched again. Now, a trick I learned a long time ago is to add a piece of folded ribbon in the back seam of the shorts when sewing so you can easily tell which is the back. I have found that sometimes it is difficult to tell. So, here is the finished outfit.

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Tools

I have been sewing for over 40 years and use several tools and have learned from many bloggers and youtubers about some newer products that make sewing easier. The first one I use a TON is a seam ripper.

I have made many mistakes through my sewing journey and a seam ripper is your best friend when having to undo your work. I prefer one with a thicker handle because it’s easier to hold but a simple inexpensive version is great. They also work great for opening button holes.

Next is a sewing gage. It comes in handy when measuring seam allowance or adding a seam allowance to a pattern that doesn’t have one already. It is also helpful when pinning hems and such. However, a ruler or measuring tape will work too. I find the sewing gage helpful because you just set your measurement throughout using it.

I can’t tell you haw many times I have pinched myself trying to make sure the fabric stays flat when going under your needle. I learned from several youtubers to use an awl. It makes sewing so much easier. I have one with a plastic bulb like end. If you have a woodworking awl, it will work just fine.

Now this next tool is a preference. I use a mini iron to press my seams and pleats and such. I find the mini iron is compact and I can have it plugged in and use right next to my sewing machine. I regular iron works just fine, I just prefer not having to get up and down unless its something big that has to be pressed.

Lastly is my sewing machine. There are so many different styles and prices to sewing machines. I use Brother sewing machines because they are easy to use and they range from under $100 to thousands depending on what you want and need. If you are just a home sewer and need a simple machine I recommend the under $100 which you can get anywhere from Walmart to Amazon.

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Creating on a Budget

Are you like me, desperate to create but your bank account is telling you no. I have learned over the years how to create beautiful clothes, costumes and crafts without breaking the bank. The economy hasn’t gotten any better so I want to help where I can and show you how to create anything from one of a kind pieces to play clothes that don’t cost a thing or at least very little. I’ll show you where I get my tools, fabrics and craft supplies. I hope to encourage a new generation of crafters and seamstresses!

Want to get updates on new posts, projects, and ideas? Add your name to our email list and we’ll share the details.

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By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Penny-Pincher Creations. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact